India's Red Fort Complex, built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad and completed in 1648, was honoured for reflecting "all phases of Indian history from the Mughal period to independence", Unesco said.

The Iwami Ginzan silver mine on Honshu Island in Japan dates back to the 16th Century. The Parthian Fortresses of Nisa in Turkmenistan contain the remains of two cities from the 3rd Century BC to the 3rd Century AD.

Samarra, considered a holy city by Shia Muslims, is home to majestic ruins along the Tigris river and a 9th Century mosque. Holy sites in the city have been the target of insurgent attacks.

Other sites added to the list include Gabon's Lope-Okanda landscape, the Richtersveld mountainous desert region of South Africa, Namibia's Twyfelfontein and 1,800 fortified tower houses in China's Guangdong province.

The UN cultural organisation has been considering bids from 39 different countries in its week-long meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Around 45 sites are in competition to be added to the World Heritage list.

There are currently more than 830 sites on the World Heritage list, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, which has been updated regularly since 1972.